During surgical procedures it is necessary to occlude blood vessels, and while several means are available, the usual method is to clamp such vessels with hemostatic clips. Such clips are usually applied with a hand held forceps-type clip applier which deforms an open clip around the vessel to clamp it shut. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,326,216 and 3,363,628. Such appliers have specially shaped jaws into which individual clips are introduced and then applied to clamp a vessel. Various packaging means have been used in an effort to supply clips in a manner that is convenient to the surgeon and which involves a minimum of manipulation by the surgeon in picking up a clip in the applier so that it is firmly held until the surgeon has applied it to the particular vessel. Most clips are packaged in some form of cartridge which can be loaded and sterilized in a pouch. In general, the cartridges support individual clips in separate compartments. Such cartridges must provide some means of retaining the clips in place until picked up by the clip applier, and these retaining means often present difficulties or inconvenience to the surgeon who is using the clips.